People keep calling every puffy cloud a cumulonimbus and it's driving me nuts

I've been taking cloud pictures for years and I see this mistake all the time, especially on social media. A big, tall, fluffy cloud does not automatically mean it's a cumulonimbus, which is the storm cloud. The key thing is the top. A true cumulonimbus has a flat, anvil-shaped top because the air hits the stratosphere and spreads out. I was at the park in Springfield last Tuesday and saw three people point at a regular cumulus congestus and yell 'thunderhead!' but it was just tall, not an anvil. Getting this wrong means you might miss the actual warning signs of a real storm cloud forming. Has anyone else noticed this mix-up getting worse lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

thea_carter7d ago

You're totally right about the anvil top being the key. I see people call any tall cloud a thunderhead too and it drives me crazy. The flat top happens because the cloud hits the stable air layer up high and can't go up anymore, so it spreads out. If it's just a big puffy tower with a bubbly top, that's still just a cumulus. Calling everything a cumulonimbus means the real scary ones don't stand out as a warning anymore.

riley_king167d ago

My buddy got caught in a downpour last summer because he saw a big fluffy cloud and thought it was fine. He called it a thunderhead, but it was just a tall cumulus. Ten minutes later he was soaked to the bone running back to his car. He doesn't mix them up anymore.